Farm Life Captured in Photo Exhibit at Watertown Library

Watertown photographer Patricia Sampson-Weiler spent the last few years capturing life at farms around Massachusetts, and her images will be on display at the Watertown Free Public Library.

“Farm Photos” featuring photographs of local farm life in Concord, Lincoln, Acton, and other places. The exhibit can be seen from July 2 to 30, 2022 in the Library’s T. Ross Kelly Family Art Gallery. The library is located at 123 Main St. in Watertown. For hours go to www.watertownlib.org or call 617-972-6431.

Sampson-Weiler wrote the following piece about her exhibition:

My personal, life-long interest in farms — how they work, what they accomplish, the spirit and ethic they engender and in particular their visual appeal have all contributed to this project. There could be no better vantage than to visit from Watertown some of the most striking farms near Boston.

Like very large trees, farms have roots in the past often dating back hundreds of years and their roots to the land cleanse and nourish not just the local and greater Boston populations but the air and water that is part of Earth’s wider living system.

My project began in early Spring, 2020, when my husband, Joseph Flack Weiler and I visited Gaining Ground in Concord. This was an eye-opening experience as this relatively new farm (since 1994), abutting Hanscom Field airport, is located on land, which was owned and farmed by Henry David Thoreau’s family, early in his life.

His spirit lives on here at Gaining Ground!

Farms in Massachusetts are also historic places that create a timeline such as the Flint Family Farm in Lincoln, which was started 12 generations ago by Thomas Flint, now represented in the exhibit postcard by Tom Flint (see exhibit card photo). The original barn continues to provide hay that is grown and harvested from the Flint fields, as represented in several photos.

The overall exhibit will also feature Codman Community Farms, Hutchins Farm, Boston Area Gleaners, Drumlin Farm, The Food Project, and Gore Place Farm. In the interest of sharing the visual delights of each farm, this exhibit will have minimum captions, but when available, a website link will be included.

All the photos were taken with a Nikon FM-2, 35mm SLR camera using black & white Kodak T-Max 400 film developed & printed by P. Sampson-Weiler.

My heartfelt thanks to the patient farmers who tolerated my frequent and unannounced visits and especially to my dear husband Joseph Weiler, who has patiently shared his darkroom, wisdom, humor and love for these past two and a half years.